On Wednesday, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin previewed the team’s upcoming matchup in their preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday night.
During his press conference, Tomlin was asked about S Kenny Robinson and the extra reps he’s gotten as Pittsburgh deals with several injuries in the safety room. Tomlin praised Robinson for making the most of the opportunities afforded to him, saying that he’s left his mark on himself and the rest of the team.
“A guy that, first of all, has positioned himself to take the reps,” Tomlin said on video from the team’s YouTube Channel. “I talked to these guys about reporting into an environment like this highly conditioned, because it positions you to take advantage of opportunity when it presents itself. And it’s obvious that he’s in good shape because the lines have gotten shorter at that position and he’s been able to absorb additional snaps and because he is in great shape, he’s made good use of those snaps.”
You best ability is your availability, and Robinson has been available with several notable safeties on the team missing time. Minkah Fitzpatrick missed a few days of practice due to personal reasons. Damontae Kazee has dealt with an ankle injury while S Keanu Neal has missed time with an undisclosed injury. Tre Norwood suffered a lower leg injury last weekend, keeping the lines shorter and prompting Pittsburgh to sign a couple of outside safeties to fill out the thin room.
In the midst of all of that, Robinson has been available. Taking advantage of the increased snaps afforded to him, he has made several interceptions in practice and earned praise from Tomlin thanks to his playmaking. For a guy who signed a Reserve/Futures contract with Pittsburgh in January, Robinson is making a strong case to be kept on the 53-man roster. He will have need that productive play follow him from training camp practices into preseason action, but should Robinson make a splash play or two in the exhibition games, there’s a good chance he earns his way on the roster.
